building will have to start again. but hints it might be limited in scale and scope as one israeli source said on the plane here today, there's a big difference between zero and 20,000 new homes being started. persuading palestinian president abbas that is a big enough israeli compromise will be a tough call for secretary clinton. despite all the current fixation over israeli settlements, the u.s. side is saying the talks remain positive and that all the big issues are being discussed. but are not telling us how much sprg being made. vinita? >> we continue to hope for some resolution. simon mcgregor wood in jerusalem, thank you. also from the middle east, american hiker sarah shourd is in oman this morning after her release from that prison in iran. shourd was met by her mother and american diplomats as she stepped off the plane. now the state department is challenging iran to release the two remaining hikers, josh fattal and shane bauer.

the u.s. troop surge in afghanistan has now reached its peak. some of those troops are supposed to come home next summer. but is that realistic? martha raddatz visited the top u.s. commander in afghanistan in an abc news exclusive. >> reporter: general david petraeus has visited dozens of combat outposts in his two-plus months here. >> are you interdicting with ground forces? >> reporter: every visit confirms how tough it is to make progress in this increasingly bloody war. >> it's very difficult and sometimes seeming to be as slow as watching grass grow or paint dry. but nonetheless, progress. >> reporter: there have been improvements in the afghan security forces and petraeus says there have been a few places where the taliban has lost momentum. a few. >> our soldiers, your police and you will all be fighting. >> reporter: this small outpost we visited is called jagata. it's been hammered by the enemy so often, the soldiers call it

jagota get out of here. >> we took 42 rockets, 16 mortars. >> reporter: in fact, while we were there, petraeus watched realtime video from an f-16 that was tracking a group of suspicious men. soldiers feared were about to attack the outpost. >> what we have sought to do is to provide realistic expectations. >> reporter: for all the talk about beginning to withdraw forces next summer, almost everything we saw in our travels and almost everything general petraeus told us indicated success here will take a very long time. successful counterinsurgency campaigns can take nine or ten years. we've been in afghanistan nine years. >> it is just now that we have finally gotten the inputs right in afghanistan. >> so we're really near the beginning of that counterinsurgency? that success that could take nine or ten years? >> in some respects. obviously, what took place up

until this time has been of enormous importance. but it is just at this point that we feel that we do have the organizations that we learned in iraq and from history are necessary. >> reporter: meaning that thinning out of troops could still begin in july, but if the current strategy remains, a significant number of u.s. forces could be here well into the next decade. martha raddatz, abc news, logar province, afghanistan. a texas man is lucky to be alive after being attacked by hundreds of bees. look what happened to 65-year-old lamar two weeks ago. two weeks ago. he was mowing his lawn when a swarm attacked his head. more than 1,200 stingers were pulled from his body. doctors also removed entire bees from his ears, his nose, his mouth and even his throat. beekeepers found the hive in an old water heater with as many as 70,000 bees inside. unbelievable video. man! >> oh, my gosh.

>> yes. >> that poor man. all right. there is triple trouble in the tropics this morning now that tropical storm karl has formed and could threaten mexico's caribbean coast. that's notion two huge hurricanes, igor and julia. new pictures of those hurricanes are captured by the crew of the international space station. igor could develop into the strongest hurricane in years at a category 5. it could hit bermuda in a few days. after hurricane julia it also looks huge but forecasters predict it will not be a major threat. with that, here's a look at your wednesday weather. wet weather in the pacific northwest. on the rest of the west coast, mild and pretty seasonable. storms in the great plains and upper midwest. mild, dry and pleasant on the east coast. windy in denver and hot in the south and southwest. >> a scorching 105 in phoenix. 90s from dallas to new orleans. cool and 54 in fargo. 66 in minneapolis. and mostly 70s along the east coast.

it's normally the home, of course, of the boston red sox. for one day at least, the nation's oldest ballpark played thoeft some rather special guests. >> for only the second time, fenway hosted the swearing in of mondays s thousands of new u. citizens. usually they're sworn in at courthouses. but they said it was more meaningful to be sworn in at such an iconic landmark. it was the largest naturalization ceremony, one of in the nation's history and the largest there in massachusetts. >> every time you visit boston you get a sense of the tradition and history of the united states. >> hopefully no yankee fans in the bunch. back with more after this. [ powder cleaner ] what? mr. clean magic eraser bath scrubber? quick question... whatdoes she see in him? well, his crubbing surface is 30% larger thse days. [ spray bottle ] yea, hat was rhetorical. [ liquid cleaner ] one more thing, he cleans thre times more soap scum per swipe than you, soha.

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welcome back, everybody. it's been a story grabbing headlines around the world for weeks now. those 33 miners stuck underground in chile. they are still trapped in th that mine and they are likely to be there for a few more months. jeffrey kofman has a fascinating look at how they are coping inside the mine and outside of it as well. >> reporter: elizabeth was almost eight months pregnant when the mine collapsed, trapping her husband and 32 others. that was 40 days ago. >> translator: i've been trying to remain calm, she said last week. from deep in the mine a few days ago, elizabeth's concerned husband sent her a message. she should stay at home, he said. because she's pregnant and very soon our daughter will be born. just relax, he added. that daughter was born. the birth recorded on a video camera so ariel could watch it deep underground. they were going to call the baby carolina. inste instead, esperanza, spanish for hope. this is not a reality show. it is real life.

but it has all the ingredients of reality tv that no one would dare dream up. a harrowing drama 33 men trapped in the collapse of a copper mine for 40 days. enduring starvation, confinement, stifling heat and humidity. after 17 anxious days, they were found alive having formed their own tribal culture. an ending yet to be written. the best guess says they might get out in another two months. a heaping dose of melodrama. the appearance of an unknown mistress, family feuds, a marriage poposal, that baby born. all set against the backdroch an epic rescue effort. nothing this deep, this complex has ever been tried before. the setting? the 121-year-old san jose copper mine deep in the atacama desert

of northern chile. 2300 feet below the surface. the 33 men wait and wonder when they will see daylight and their families again. the miners have not waited to be told what to do. they divided themselves into three groups. the 105, the ramp and the refuge, named after the parts of the mine they are sleeping in. they don't compete. they just rotate responsibilities. and a cast of leaders has emerged below. luis arsua, shift foreman before the collapse has maintained his role as leader. mario gomez, the oldest, assisting psychologists on the surface. then johnny barios. a few months of medical training. under these circumstances, that's enough to make him the group medic. inoculating everyone and doing medical assessments. he's got some answering to do when he gets out. both his wife and his mistress turned up at the mine gates the day of the collapse. while the men organize

themselves underground, a different kind of order has been established on the surface outside the mine gates where families have been holding vigil for 40 days. they call this campament campamento esperanza, camp hope. that is christina holding vigil for the man she lives with but isn't married to. he is flavio nunez. >> i love you, daddy, says the girl. a few months ago, christina declined his offer of marriage but all that changed over the last few weeks. after he was found alive, she sent him a note. i told him, claudio iaccept your proposal and i thought he was going to say no, but he said okay, my love. as soon as i get out of here, we're going to get married. in the harsh climate of the desert here, there's a strange sense of joy surrounding the mine. the remote route here is carpeted in a rare spectacular explosion of purple flowers. this in what is said to be the driest place on earth. and on the hillside above the mine, we found two little girls

delicately arranging some of those flowers around one of the 33 chilean flags fluttering in the wind. the word on the flag she shows me say we are waiting for you, mario gomez. he is her uncle. i'm jeffrey kofman at the san jose copper mine near kopiopo, chile. >> humans are amazing. they form their own society down there. >> not to make light of the situation at all, but the story playing out between the wife and the mistress is interesting. there was a candlelight vigil and both women are chanting the same man's name. so then they go up to each other. they compare notes and the wife realizes the mistress has been with her husband for five years. both women are saying, i love him. he loves me. we're soulmates. so when this guy who has emerged as the nurse, the medic, comes up from the shaft, it's not going to be a pretty situation. >> when we return, a study into the hygiene habits of men and women. >> who is more like three wash

women. >> who is more like three wash their hands after visiting t when someone gives blood, when a hand reaches out, that moment when heartbreak turns to hope, you're there through the american red cross. down the street, across the country, around the world, you help save the day, every day. your support truly matters. you can help today. visit redcross.org.

>> it's one of those facts of life that sometimes gets overlooked. we're talking about washing your hands, well, after you know what. >> overlooked by your gender, not mine. a new study looks into who scrubs in public rest rooms more, men or women. it's getting lots of people into a lather. >> it is particularly important for you to wash your hand after going to the toilet. >> reporter: we all know we're supposed to do it. do you always wash your hands when you leave the ladies' room? >> always. always. >> you always wash your hand ooze. >> oh, absolutely. >> do you ever see guys who don't? >> yes. >> reporter: in an unscientific survey, observers went under cover in public restflooms four cities across the country.

and found that 85% of adults washed their hands. that's up from 77% just three years ago. but separate men and women and the numbers change. here in atlanta's turner field, the gender differences wery in most extreme. 98% of women were seen washing their hands. but 1 out of every 3 men left the bathroom without hitting the sinks. >> nasty. >> hopefully you were not? >> i'm one of those one that does. >> they are always in a hurry. just get it done and go. >> reporter: doctors say wash up. 80% of infectious diseases like pneumonia, salmonella and the common cold are passed through human contact. >> the good news is, we're doing more and more of it and we're doing it better and more thoroughly. let's keep on that track. >> reporter: are you listening, guys? >> wash your hands! >> reporter: yunzi de nies. >> this is huge these days. the hand sanitizer.

kills almost 100% of germs within 15 seconds. but you refuse to use it. >> i think it dries out your hands. but i do wash my hands. so -- >> that's comforting. >> i don't need the instant stuff. >> don't drink this either. one has been intoxicated from this. watch out, parents.

"world news now" delivers your morning papers. >> do you therm show "in living color"? >> of course. >> it wizz hilarious. remember the classic thing they had. what was it called? man on film with david williams and david alan grier. all the snaps. apparently they have it -- there's this new all-male video out there circulating now about how to snap like a diva. check it out. >> don't mess with the snap

diva. >> snap. >> point snap, all these snaps. i don't know why this came out. they look kind of old. i just remember this triggered my memory from the "in living color" skit back in the day. all these very masculine snaps. >> all those snaps are missing the crucial element to make the snap work. the crucial element i see for women, we all know this. you got to get your head into it, too. work out to. >> my husband has seen that one before. yesterday we were talking about the oprah audience. i'm the first to admit i love watching oprah's audience freak out. >> they go nuts. >> i'm not the only one. there's an entirely new networking site called tumbler. it essentially is snapshots of these people in the midst of their freak outs. if you want to find it on your own it's called faces of the

last season of oprah.tumbler. that's the woman who drove in. it's a weird one. >> she kind of got wrapped up in her seat belt. she's not having a stroke. that was a weird picture, though. that was the deal there. >> they posted 23 shots so far and the subtitle of this is people losing their minds. and you can see there, that's probably right after someone was told you're going to sydney. >> that was a big thing. her season premiere on monday. you're going to australia! >> look at that. they were all so excited. apparently they are going in december now for all of you following all their good fortune. moving on here. an aw moment of the day. we're going for a record throughout in beijing, china, for the most babies swimming together in a single pool. look at these cute little guys. >> looks like he's being strangled. >> it's a nice picture, vinita. they were apparently going for the record here. cute little kids. >> do we know what the record was? >> no, i don't have that.

>> they just plopped some kids in the pool and said let's go for it? >> that's cute. >> are you going to -- i'm going to -- will sis going

changing course. voters send a message as tea party candidates advance. >> ladies and gentlemen, the people of delaware have spoken. >> the political impact from last night's primaries. then, getting high on cough syrup. the fda's action as teens admit abuse. and getting higher. what sent gold prices to an all-time record high? it's wednesday, september 15th. from abc news, this is "world news now."

>> that's good news. the price of gold is up, but we're still going to get you that gold gift for your anniversary on friday. we're still going to chip in and do that for you. >> the gold watch? >> gold something. >> don't worry. i'm going to pawn it now that i've seen this story. >> vegas is good for that. good morning. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. tea party candidates have ridden a wave of voter angry to victory. >> in delaware and new york, upset wins by two long shot candidates. but a new hampshire race is still very close. john hendren has the latest from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. tea partiers partied extra hard in delaware. that's where outsider christine o'donnell defeated longtime congressman mike castle. castle hadn't faced a hotly contested primary since the first bush administration. o'donnell benefited from an antiestablishment mood and an endorsement from sarah palin.

the republican establishment had warned gop voters if they picked her, they would lose to the democrat in november, but voters just weren't listening. >> we're going to go after the scoundrels, those that have chosen a life of feeding at the public trough. they're going to have to account for themselves. the friends and family club, pay to play club, those are over. we are a government of the people. >> reporter: the tea party candidate picked up a win in new york where lazio was defeated, though either are expected to defeat andrew cuomo in november. it wasn't all bad news for the establishment. in maryland, bob ehrlich easily won the republican nomination. that was after sarah palin endorsed murphy, his tea party rival. for castle in delaware, a case of supremely bad timing. he was everything you didn't want to be as a candidate this year. he's been on the delaware ballot for 20 years. he's 70 years old running against a much younger candidate and he's a moderate running in a republican primere. vinita and rob?

>> now to that fatal gas explosion in san bruin oh, california. investigators are now finished collecting evidence at the scene and they are now interviewing people who saw that deadly blast. most thought it was a plane crash. some firefighters thought it was even a terrorist attack. it took more than a half hour before they knew the real cause. four people are confirmed dead. three are still missing. the state department is issuing a challenge to iran's president ahmadinejad, bring home the two americans still in prison. >> he'll be in the u.s. next week to attend the u.n. general assembly. and this latest plea follows the release of hiker sarah shourd. t.j. winnick has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. the attorney for the three hikers told abc news now that shourd has been released, he is confident her two companions will soon be next. it was a much-anticipated and loving reunion at the oman airport. freed on a $500,000 bail, sarah shourd is headed back to the united states after 14 months in an iranian prison.

>> i want to really offer my thanks to everyone in the world, all of the governments, all of the people that have been involved. >> reporter: the only contact with the outside world during her confinement came in may. a brief tearful visit with her mother. a mother who now says her daughter is sick with a potentially precancerous condition. >> i especially, particularly, want to address president ahmadinejad and all of the iranian officials and thank them for the humanitarian gestures. i'm grateful and i'm very humbled. >> reporter: despite her release, her fiance shane bauer and josh fattal remain behind bars. they were accused of being spies. >> we are working to get josh and shane home. this is our only, only mission. and we believe they will be home. >> reporter: the state department, which had called the three americans detentioned by the rogue state illegal and inhumane applauded the development.

>> iran has shown compassion in the case of sarah shourd. we would hope that iran would demonstrate the same compassion with respect to the other hikers. >> reporter: though shourd was released on bail, she is not expected to return to iran to face trial. rob and vinita? a home health care aide in new jersey has been arrested. she's accuse of mistreating an elderly woman and it was all caught on videotape. that video shows the aide slapping and violently prodding the frail 91-year-old woman who suffers from alzheimer's disease as well as some other conditions. the aide who had worked for the family for 11 years has been charged with aggravated assault and elderly abuse. the fbi reports that the number of rapes has dropped more than 2% nationwide. but now women are coming forward to say they were rape victims and they claim police simply looked the other way. here now is pierre thomas. >> reporter: sarah's story is going to make you angry. in 2004, sarah was sexually assaulted during a robbery at the pennsylvania gas station

where she worked. >> he pulled a gun out on me. he ordered me to give him oral sex at gunpoint. >> did you think he might kill you? >> yes, i did. >> do you still find yourself crying? >> reporter: when sarah reported the crime to police, a detective accused her of lying about the assault and of robbing the gas station herself. >> within minutes of meeting me, he began accusing me. >> reporter: he even arrested you, right? >> yes. at times i feel like it would have been easier to go through the assault than the false arrest. >> reporter: she told her story at a congressional hearing examining whether the nation's police are failing to fully investigate sexual assaults against women. in recent years, some major police departments have reported such stunning declines in rapes that the credibility of their numbers are now being questioned. in new orleans, a 37% decrease in rapes.

in new york stay, 35.7% drop. and in baltimore, there's been an unbelievably 80% decline in rape since the early 1990s. it was all too good to be true. in baltimore, officers failed to even write reports and investigate 60% of cases where a victim reported rape. >> we are seeing chronic and systemic patterns of police refusing to accept cases for investigation. >> reporter: as for sarah, police later discovered a serial rapist had been targeting women in her area. the charges against her were dropped. >> did you ever get an apology from the detective? >> never. >> reporter: pierre thomas, abc news, washington. dutch police say they've arrest an american pilot at the amsterdam airport for intoxicati intoxication. he's arrested in the cockpit of a passenger jet about to take off. tests showed his blood alcohol level just above the legal limit. delta airlines would only confirm that an unnamed crew member was suspended and its

flight from amsterdam to new york was canceled. three storms have now formed in the atlantic, including a new tropical storm karl which could hit mexico. that's in addition to two huge hurricanes, igor and julia. nasa released more pictures of the storms taken from the international space station. igor is now expected to become a monster cat 5 hurricane. that's the strong nest years and it does pose a threat to bermuda. meanwhile, hurricane julia looks imposing as well, but forecasters say it will not be a threat. now here's a look at your weather. severe storms from kansas city to des moines. winds could top 80 miles an hour. isolated tornado is possible near the twin cities. rainy in seattle and sunny and mild along much of the east coast. >> 54 in fargo. 52347 the twin cities. warmer than unusual phoenix. 90s across much of texas. for much of the rest of the country, warm and pretty pleasant. octoberfest is almost upon us. but this year, the traditional bavarian celebration of beer is

extra special. >> beer is always special. it's the 50th anniversary of the german fair being celebrated in lacrosse, wisconsin. so there will be a special beer served at the party. it's a brand new dark ale created by a local brewery. >> and it will only be served on draft at the octoberfest celebration in lacrosse. it's the worst accent in the world. starting next friday. i tried, though. the ale creator says the taste captures the celebration of germany during this special time of the year. although my accent did not capture the spirit of germany. >> bottoms up, you'll. we'll be right back. world news now weather brought to you by the scooter store. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited

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anyone who flies regularly probably is not going to like this. it's called the sky rider. it's a very basic seat to say the least. it would allow airlines to pack more people on to planes. as you can see it's really just a saddle with some arm rests. rows of sky riders would be 23 inches apart opposed to the current average of 32 inches. that would allow some 737 jets to carry 220 people. that's 50 more than they do right now. the faa, though, must still approve the seats. personally, i'd rather walk.

>> the company that made those is also saying it will be another class of flying. so it won't be economy, which means you might pay less which might make it more enticing. i agree, though. my legs are too long. now to a major concern for the drug enforcement agency. cough medicine. plenty of teens are abusing it to get high. >> an fda panel has considered whether over-the-counter medicine should be harder to buy. dr. richard besser has that story. >> reporter: they're all over youtube. videos that show teens engaging in what's called robo tripping or dexing. millions of teens are known to be abusing dxm. the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines. >> we've got a generation of young people who are choosing to abuse medicines. and that's the issue we've got to go after. >> reporter: for some teens, it's a cheap way to get high. in large dose, the drug can cause hallucinations or the sensation of being drunk. but there can be real consequences.

dxm can be a gateway other to drugs, can cause changes in vision, difficulty breathing, a fast heartbeat and in rare instances, death. last year, robo tripping sent more than 8,000 people, mostly teens, to the emergency room. 21-year-old james hunt has been using dxm to get high since he was 17. >> why didn't you consider it a drug? >> you don't think about drugs being on the counter at walmart. like you just walk in anywhere, like in any city in the country and get drugs. >> reporter: still today, an fda advisory committee voted to keep these cough medicines available without a prescription. in keep with the industry group position. the industry says the key is to educate parents with ad like these. do my parents know? yeah, right. i even get high in my room. >> they have no clue. >> reporter: the fda must still decide whether to accept today's recommendation from their foonl keep these drugs nonprescription. it's very likely they will. ultimately, it will be up to parents to prevent abuse of cough medicines, not the federal

government. dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >> many people take 10 to 20 times the normal dosage in order to get the robo tripping effect. >> the sad reality is looking into the future, maybe dr. besser is right. these could be things you need a prescription for. while many financial markets are tanking, one investment is soaring in value. >> what's driving gold to an all-time high?

now."now to gold. it's held a special part. it's trading at an all-time high. the question here is why? terry moran found some answers. >> reporter: call it the great gold rush of 2010. the price of gold hit record highs more than $1270 per ounce, and there were plenty of

predictions it will go even higher, maybe much higher, before is it t stops rising. >> there is so much anticipation building over the dresks gold. >> reporter: you can't eat it. it doesn't pay dividends or interest or rent to you, but gold is still the stuff that fires the fever dreams of investors all over the world. especially right now. >> let's talk what has been working. that's gold. >> gold futures rising to a record high. >> i can get cash. >> why is the privacy gold so high right now? >> demand. global demand. and they want a better currency. i view gold as a currency just as dollars or euros or yen. >> reporter: brawl bradsky say partner with qb asset management in new york. he says that given the deep uncertainty about where this economy is heading, and the concerns many have that what the government is doing is not working, buying gold makes sense. >> this is apocalyptic. >> i don't think so. >> the end of paper currency? >> well, you know, that's only

been around for 39 years. and that's what most people don't realize. >> reporter: the past few years certainly have been a good time to get into gold. ten years ago, gold was selling for about $270 an ounce. in 2007, just as the subprime mortgage crisis hit, an ounce of gold cost under $700. more than $500 below where it closed today. all that action for a lump of earth. >> gold is no special qualities to it. i mean, it has no intrinsic value at all, just like dollars or euros or yen have no intrinsic value to them. but for 5,000 or 6,000 years, mankind has come back to it, not because it's special but because it's scarce. >> and pretty? >> perhaps. i like shiny things. >> reporter: beaut escarcity, solidity. gold has always been a refuge for investors in anxious times.

and so these are boom times for gold dealers. at isaac cahan's bouillon trading in manhattan, business is brisk. people come to buy and sell gold. sometimes a lot. >> about $700,000. >> when i got started, i definitely never thought that gold was going to be about $1200 an ounce. in my wildest dreams i was hoping it would get above $700 an houns. >> reporter: he's been in business 22 years. he's never seen a market like this one. >> all of a sudden, people are looking into different investments. people are scared of the stock market. people are scared of their low interest rates they are receiving so, therefore, some -- a portion of that money is definitely going into the hard assets, which is gold, silver and platinum. >> reporter: people are scared. all over the world you see this rush to buy gold. they sell it at harrods department store in london. incredible ethere's a gold to go machine dispensing bars in the lobby of a hotel at abu dabi.

that's a little crazy and maybe, maybe it's a sign that gold, like dotcoms and real estate before it has become a bubble and it could burst. >> i have no idea what is driving it except the kind of wild and i think some unmisguided hysterical fear. >> reporter: ben stein, the actowriter and economics commentator is wary of the frenzy for gold right now. >> i think people are counting on it to be a sure thing are possibly in for quite a severe disappointment. >> reporter: still, right now, gold keeps going up and up driven by a sense that the world is out of whack and gold can somehow keep us safe until, as history shows, the price plummets again. >> the way i look at it right now, it's an emotionally driven market right now, and it's going to continue until the funds and the people change their minds. >> reporter: if you can guess that moment, you'll be, well, golden. >> well, well, well. >> look at us. >> apparently when you work the overnight shift you become worth

your weight in gold. >> oh, man. if only our contract reflected that. wouldn't that be nice? >> i think i hear on the overnights we're more of a vermeil, a mixture of metals. interesting to see how the market has changed. we look good. solid gold. >> solid gold, baby. >> as soon as i said we like it, they took it away. >> more after this. i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit...

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a normal car. it will do 100 miles an hour and has a range of 270 miles. but it's much quieter. and there's no co2 from the exhaust. it's the world's first hydrogen fuel cell car to enter production, and it's here in the uk for the first time. the hydrogen is stored at the back of the car in a tange which is under there. and it flows forward through the vehicle to the fuel cell which is in this console in between the two front seats. and once it's there it reacts with oxygen taken in from the atmosphere to produce two things. the first of which is water. that's a waste product. comes out of the exhaust at the back and the second issy to the crucial part, the electricity. that comes forward and powers the motor which drives the front wheels. what we need to do is to move on to electric power and in the long term, hydrogen. so this is the kind of seismic shift in terms of technology's underpinning how we power our cars.

there's a long way to go yet because it's expensive, because consumers need to be educated and the infrastructure needs to be put in place. >> reporter: we are already seeing petrol electric hybrid cars on our roads and there are full electric versions on the way. these get their electricity from batteries which can be more limiting than getting it from hydrogen. but at the moment, they are only around ten places in the uk where you can fill up with hydrogen. the emissions from this new car are green. there are other factors to take into account. the real issue about hydroien is how we're going to produce it, store it and distribute it to get it into filling stations. when we've done that we have to die full lifetime analysis as to how that is going to help us meet our climate change objective. >> reporter: the clarity might be visiting the uk. but you can't buy it even if you wanted to. it's only being leased in japan and the u.s. where there are places to fill up. richard scott, bbc news.

>> the prices aren't bad. 600 bucks a month will get you the lease, the fuel and the insurance. >> i think they're just test running that program right now in california. they are saying one of the biggest problems for these cars is providing

set free. the american released from prison in iran. >> i am very humbled. >> what's next for the two prisoners still in custody? then vital vote. the tea party's impact on last night's primaries. and predictions for november's elections. and attacking apple. serious competition for the iphone. it's wednesday, september 15th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i feel like it's so hard to keep up in terms of the landscape with these smartphones.

>> as an iphone addict, i can't imagine anything making a serious run. they are going for it. >> is just seems like symbion platform and all these words. you need a dictionary just tond what is the latest and greatest in these phones. >> just imagine where we'll be five years from now. >> the iphone will be obsolete. good morning. thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. the u.s. is issuing a challenge to ahmadinejad. bring home those two imprisoned american hikers. ahmadinejad is coming to new york next week for the u.n. general assembly. >> while josh fattal and shane bauer face uncertain situations, their companion sarah shourd is facing her freedom. >> reporter: for sarah shourd, 14 months and two birthdays behind bars ended with a joyful reunion with her mother. she left the tehran prison where she'd been held in solitary confinement for the spotlight and a flight to the persian gulf nation of oman. >> every innocent person in

prison deserves the same support that i've received. but i am very humbled. the more i learn about what people have done for me, what governments have done for me, the more i feel humbled. >> reporter: she was freed for health reasons after discovering a lump in her breast. but not until $500,000 in bail was paid which officials insist did not come from the u.s. government. she's leaving behind fellow americans josh fattal and shane bauer, who became her fiance in prison. shourd's mother said in a statement, i'm going to make sure now she gets the care and attention she needs, adding, i can only imagine how bittersweet her freedom must be leaving shane and josh behind. bittersweet for the other families as well. we reached the fattals at home in philadelphia. >> this house is waiting for josh. >> we profoundly share in the joy of the shourd family, and we want nothing more than to have that for our families as well. >> reporter: tehran's prosecutor

offered little hope for the other two saying they will now be tried for spying. "newsweek" reporter maziar bahari, who was held in the same prison last year, said shourd herself will likely be leaving with her own chilling warning. >> they tell you what you should do, what you should say, what you shouldn't say. the revolutionary guards have agents all around the world, and they can always harm you. >> reporter: shourd is very aware they can harm her two friends as well. they now appear headed for a court run by iran's feared revolutionary guards. u.s. officials say that shourd will not be returning to iran for any trial. jim sciutto, abc news, washington. former president jimmy carter says he believes north korea humanely treated an american prisoner held for seven months. mr. carter hopes the release of aijalon gomes last month would help jump-start talks with the north. the former president said he worked for five weeks to get permission to go to north korea. he said gomes would be released only if the former president

showed up to get him. in california, investigators are done collecting evidence from the scene of that gas line explosion. now they are interviewing witnesses. >> among them, neighbors and first responders who rushed to help. diana alvear joins us with more. >> reporter: for the first time, we're hearing the 911 calls from the night of the explosion, and what we hear are first responders clearly stunned at what they encountered. >> multiple houses. we're trying to get close. we have extreme heat. we have possibly several blocks on fire at this time. >> reporter: in the moments following the explosion, the scene in san bruno was pure chaos. >> from 6-2, be advised. san mateo has reports of occupants trapped at 1615 clairmont. >> reporter: first responders recalled what they saw as they drove up. >> there were residents fleeing the street, running up the hill. san bruno police department was arriving on scene. it was very chaotic.

>> reporter: authorities have announced the remains of a fourth victim have been recovered. they've also allowed most residents whose homes are intact to return. most aren't sure they want to. >> even if people say, hey, it's all clean, ready to go back inside, i don't know if we want to live here. >> reporter: a bigger question, if what happened in san bruno can happen anywhere. consider this -- the nation has some 2.5 million miles of subterranean pipeline, much of it at least 40 years old. pg&e says the san bruno pipeline had been inspected as recently as march. it showed no signs of anything that foreshadowed the terrible tragedy that followed. and those doing the inspections are also under growing scrutiny. a former pg&e employee is now suing the company he says for turning a blind eye to safety. vinita, rob? a bomb threat shut down the famed eiffel tower in paris last night. police evacuated several thousand people while they searched the landmark, but no explosives were found.

the threat came from a pay phone. no one claimed responsibility. earlier, french lawmakers voted to ban face-covering islamic veils, but there's no indication yet that the bomb threat was linked to that decision. the lone survivor of a fatal home invasion is giving key testimony in a connecticut courtroom. dr. william petit described the worst day of his life to jurors. here's wabc's marcus solis. >> reporter: dr. william petit arrived looking as calm and stoic as he did on the witness stand. for nearly three hours, he delivered unemotional but compelling testimony, a chilling story told in calm detail. the horror began in the middle of the night in july 2007 when two gunmen broke into his home. he awoke in pain and bloody from being hit with a baseball bat. if he moves, put two bullets in him, petit testified hearing one suspect tell the other. on trial is steven hayes, one of two men facing charges in the death of his wife and two

daughters. if you give us what we want, we won't hurt you, peti said he was told, but he lost so much blood, he would need a transfusion. he was left for dead in the basement while jennifer hawks petit was taken to a bank and forced to withdraw $15,000. later that morning, petit told the jury he heard loud thumps upstairs and in a more sinister tone, don't worry. it's going to be over in a couple of minutes. jennifer petit was raped and strangled. the 11 and 17-year-old girls were tied to their beds and would die of smoke inhalation after they set fire to the house. petit eventually freed himself and yelled at a neighbor to call 911 saying, i thought time was of the essence and i needed to get help. in court, dr. petit never looked at his alleged attacker. there was no cross-examination by the defense. the trial could last up to two months. marcus solis, abc news, new haven. bedbugs have been showing up in homes and in stores lately.

and now they've shut down the main library in ft. myers, florida, too. a librarian found them crawling on some of the chairs, by the computers. those chairs were removed and exterminators called in. the bedbugs were found at another library branch last week. librarians hope to reopen today, but visitors, well, they may stay away awhile. >> ew. >> good call. >> some under the desk? >> i can't handle that close-up of them they are so gross. here's a look at your weather. kansas city, the twin cities and des moines could be in for severe weather, powerful winds and a possible tornado. along the east coast, mostly sunny and mild. wet in the pacific northwest. >> hotter than usual in phoenix and cooler than unusual the upper midwest. 54 in fargo. 66 in the twin cities. dallas and new orleans in the 90s. warm and seasonable in the rest of the country. in charlottesville, virginia, thomas jefferson is getting a bath. >> well, sort of. a bronze statue at the

university of virginia is being cleaned up. conservation experts have washed the founding father's statue with a mild detergent and then coated the statue with a specially made wax. >> they say that wax prevents corrosion and makes the bronze shine. school administrators admit jefferson was looking shabby and grubby. and the statue needed some repairs. it's time for a makeover because it's been there since 1918. cleaning it also gave them a chance to recast some of the items that have just disappeared over time. he used to have swords and a crown and scales of justice. and a scale of justice. they also said they can fix the marble base. so if you see it, you'll probably notice a few other things by his feet. >> t.j. looking good. more news after this.

he's single, he's great looking and i'm going to introduce you in two weeks. he's a dentist so whiten your teeth. no coffee, no espresso. mm-hmm. ♪ [ female announcer ] crest 3d white toothpaste. the remarkable toothpaste that removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks... hi. i'm paul. [ female announcer ] for a noticeably whiter smile in just two weeks crest 3d white toothpaste. also try crest 3d white rinse. ♪ when pain keeps you up, nothing is proven to help you fall asleep faster than advil pm liqui-gels. rushing real liquid relief to ease you to sleep fast. for nighttime pain, make advil pm your #1 choice. seven weeks from right now we'll be telling you about election day results from across

the country. yesterday, voters in several states went to the polls for primary elections. to wrap it all up, we are joined from washington by abc news white house reporter karen traverse. let's start in delaware. the big story of the night where really a little known underdog in the tea party defeated the veteran. >> a stunning upset in delaware yesterday, vinita. the biggest upset perhaps of this entire cycle. veteran moderate congressman mike castle, a republican from delaware. he was a two-term governor, a nine-term member of congress. he lost to christine o'donnell. she was backed by the tea party, backed by sarah palin and she came away with a six-point win. this is a really stunning loss for mike castle. he had the strong backing of the state party, the strong backing of the national party. christine o'donnell was able to pull this off despite the efforts of those parties to paint her as a fringe candidate with a checkered past with some shady financial dealings.

she was able to win. this is really a huge victory for the tea party movement. this is really showing some grassroots momentum at that state level. it's whether or not they can translate that into victories in the general election. that will remain to be seen over the next seven weeks. >> on the heels of that comment, what should we expect in the general election in delaware? >> democrats are elated. this is a state they assumed they were going to lose. remember, this is joe biden's seat. he was elected to this seat in delaware in 1972. when his son beau biden said he wasn't going to run against congressman castle, democrats figured this is a loss. they just chalked it up. mike castle was going to win. he was the clear favorite going into the general election. a stunning turn of events yesterday with christine o'donnell's win. now it looks like the democratic candidate is the favorite and o'donnell trails him by double digits right now. democrats are going to make a lot of hay about some of the comments republicans made about

christine o'donnell. the chairman of the democratic party in delaware, he -- the republican party in delaware -- he said that christine o'donnell was so unelectable, she couldn't even be elected dog catcher. these are comments democrats are going to bring up and say we don't even have to criticize christine o'donnell. republicans have done it for us. >> certainly some harsh words there. i want to look ahead to november's general election. a lot of people saying this is a major blow to republicans. their hopes of winning back the senate majority. >> this will make it a lot tougher for republicans to win tougher hain s n licans to win o t th essentially what they'd have to do is run the table in the ten toss-up states. that would mean they'd have to ve tcumba- in iforisco washington. those are, our they'lltoug the republicans are ookthe ppic hey thoughhat d bra nation and that could be a really key state for tho pick up to win those ten seats.

>> so oncratehe i want to talk about one item regarding the ho new york congressman charlie rangel, ocouris those ethics charges and was facing a primary challenge. how did that go? >> it was a very crowded primary up there in new york. charlie rangel pulled it out. he is, as you said, facing 13 ethics violations from the house ethics committee. he has been in office for 40 years. oi vic in november. it's a sigh of relief for the rangel supporters up th looks l anythat ethics will not aff in enrtn. will not aff in >> the words we h were anti-establishment echoed

♪ skinny we all know george michael knows the importance of faith. but i don't think he understands the importance of a driver. the latest escapades have landed him eight weeks in jail. i shouldn't say landed. he is sentenced to eight weeks. we always know celebrities have a little wiggle room. this stems from a july 4th collision. according to him he smoked marijuana, taken prescription

sedatives, got behind the wheel of his range rover and crashed into a snappy snaps store. this happened in london. this isn't the first time by any stretch of the imagination. in 2006 he was found slumped over the wheel of his car in a london intersection. in april he hit three parked cars while trying to maneuver out of a parking space. at that time he admitted he was a terrible driver. in october 2006, again found slumped over the wheel of his car as it blocked an intersection. you hope this is a wake-up call to him about the importance of not doing this stuff at all, let alone when you are driving. >> i never understand why rich people go through this. you can afford all the -- all the money they have, get a driver. buy the cab company, whatever you got to do. >> and the fine is only close to $2,000. it's $1,930. so it's not going to affect his wallet. >> not at all. >> sad turn of events for him. also sad news coming out of my beloved saints.

willis and i have been talking trash the last few weeks. saints fans, giants news. reggie bush is going to give back the heisman. you may remember, months and months, a few years now, controversy and investigation into reggie with the heisman trophy when he was at usc and apparently accepting some gifts and some cash illegally. now he released a statement saying, look. i'm going to give the heisman back. obviously it's been speculated for awhile. he was going to get stripped of the award. he said, well, let me just give this thing back and released a statement saying it's a difficult decision but this is something i feel like i should do. simply now going to focus on football and win and get another super bowl ring for his new orleans saints. kind of a sad moment in the chapter in his career. >> this is the first person that's ever -- >> yeah, so this is a sad way to break ground. >> no one will get it. >> i think, according to my producer, they are going to leave it vacant. whoever was number two that year

is not going to get bumped up and get the trophy. it's vacant. so sad day for reggie bush. he's still a great athlete. best of luck to reggie. don't start. don't start. >> they have a bet going. so in four months you'll hear how that plays out. i don't think anyone will be shedding a tear on this next one. john mayer is no longer connected to twitter. >> i'm crushed. >> i have to say, his message was a little clever. it said what does this button do and then he officially signed off. he limited his tweets. i had forgotten. remember awhile back in "playboy," he came under fire for using the "n" word when trying to explain why black people love him. so he's now completely pulled the plug. he threatened before saying every night i think about canceling my twitter account because i think it's pretty much done. i just think twitter as a form of communication, i think it's over to be honest with you. hopefully ashton kutcher follows suit. >> kind of harsh.

we end on a happy note. golden hollywood couple here, penelope cruz and javier bardem. yes, the rumors are true. she is pregnant 4 1/2 months after getting married in july at a friend's house in the bahamas. they are expecting a little one. rumored for a while. these pictures came out. showing a little baby bump. penelope is filming the next "pirates of the caribbean." people started speculating and they finally confirmed it. her first ever child at 36. >> that is going to be a beautiful baby. >> oh, yeah.

here are some stories to watch today on abc news. the mideast peace talks move from egypt to jerusalem today. secretary of state hillary clinton is in israel this morning looking for compromises on some key issues. pope benedict begins his four-day visit to england and scotland today. he arrives in edinburgh where queen elizabeth will welcome him. an updated web browser will be unveiled today by microsoft. a beta version of internet explorer 9 promises not only to be faster but also produce better graphics and make social networking a little easier.

finally this half hour, more from the tech world. specifically, the big fight that mobile phone giant nokia is now picking with apple. >> nokia wants to win over those now using the iphone and is launching quite the offensive to make it happen. rory cellan-jones of the bbc has the story. >> reporter: remember when these were the coolest mobiles? for years, nokia turned out phones that grabbed the attention of consumers and made the finnish company huge profits. then this happened. >> we're going to make some history together today. >> reporter: the launch of apple's iphone took the spotlight away from nokia. since then, plenty of other smartphone rivals have made life harder for the industry's giant. in london, the fight back began. nokia took over the giant xcel exhibition center to show off the new phones it believes will make it cool once more. >> the brand somewhat synonymous with -- they've got to get more cool back into the brand. have devices that take on the iphone and actually deliver some of the cool applications and

services that other phones are able to deliver today. >> reporter: this, the n-95 was nokia's last big hit. very good at taking pictures. not so good at getting you on to the internet. but nokia's hoping this, the n-8, will provide a much better web experience for those who think phones are now about far more than just making calls. the n-8 takes better pictures, gives users more entertainment, does just about everything better than any other smartphone. >> one of the main providers -- the major provider of smartphones. apple and android, a lot of them have had a lot of press, a lot of coverage. we're now coming back here to say, relook at us. have a look at us. try this product out. >> to make nokia better than anything else out there. >> reporter: the man unveiling the new phones won't be there to see if they work. he's resigned after the company brought in a canadian from microsoft to run the business. nokia is in upheaval, but

consumers will decide whether it can make another comeback. rory cellan-jones, bbc news, east london. >> iphone has such a stranglehold. i wonder if anyone can crack through that. >> it seems like they pretty much invented the